French professional footballer Kylian Mbappe was forced off the field with a broken nose during the Euro 2024 tournament on Monday evening.
The footballer, who plays as a forward for La Liga club Real Madrid and captains the French national team, suffered a brutal injury after a collision with Austrian defender Kevin Danso.
But the 25-year-old is not expected to require surgery, despite doctors initially thinking he could be sidelined for at least ten days after the accident in the Austria-France match in Dusseldorf.
“If he can breathe, ultimately it’s not a functional injury,” London-based NHS plastic surgeon Mark Mikhail told MailOnline.
While Mbappe may not need immediate surgery to repair facial trauma, cosmetic changes should still be made within three weeks of a broken nose, he points out – otherwise the nose can ‘settle’ into its new position, producing an undesirable cosmetic result.
There were genuine fears on Monday that Mbappe would be excluded from the tournament
The attacker suffered a brutal injury after a collision with Austrian defender Kevin Danso
Dr. Mikhail suggests that Mbappe’s nose was already pushed back into place shortly after the match, meaning he will not require immediate surgery.
“If a break is that fresh, because he’s playing football and there’s a lot of adrenaline, maybe they had enough mobility to push his nose back into place,” he said.
“The surgery for a broken nose is often done a few days later with local anesthesia, rather than a full surgery and they just push it back into place,” he added.
Journalist Julien Laurens reported in the early hours of Tuesday morning that Mbappé does not need to undergo surgery on his nose.
French outlet L’Equipe also claimed that he left a hospital in Dusseldorf late on Monday evening after undergoing several tests and diagnoses.
The French Football Federation (FFF) revealed that the tests were reassuring and that surgery was not necessary.
However, they did confirm that the Les Blues captain had suffered a broken nose.
The footballer returned to the French team hotel, where he will be closely monitored by medical staff in the coming days.
In a statement, the FFF said: ‘Kylian Mbappe returns to the base camp of the French national team.
Kylian Mbappé suffered a broken nose during the second part of the Austria-France match, which will be held in Düsseldorf on Monday.
‘The captain of France was first treated by the medical staff and by Dr. Franck Le Gall, who diagnosed him with a nasal fracture.
‘Mbappe will be treated in the coming days but will not undergo surgery in the near future.
“A mask will be made for him so that the number 10 of the French national team can prepare for his return to competition after a period of treatment.”
The footballer, who plays as a forward for La Liga club Real Madrid and captains the French national team, suffered a brutal injury after a collision with Austrian defender Kevin Danso.
Mbappé reportedly hopes to play Friday’s match against the Netherlands wearing a face mask
A mask will help protect Mbappe’s nose from further injury as his nose will still be vulnerable
The NHS advises most people not to exercise for at least six weeks if there is any chance of being punched in the face.
However, athletes may choose to wear a special plastic face and nose protector to allow them to return to the field, field or track sooner, while reducing the risk of further injury, Dr. Mikhail explains.
‘If the nasal bones are broken, it is obviously vulnerable. Even if the bone is in the right place, you want to keep it there, so you want to protect it from further injury,” said Dr. Mikhail.
“(A mask) is different from a post-operative splint, which tries to keep it in place. Instead, this would just try to protect the nose,” he added.
In most cases, the operation is not done immediately after a break, because the face is very swollen.
“Generally, you wait until the swelling has gone down before assessing it and seeing if anything needs to be done,” said Dr. Mikhail.
‘After the swelling has subsided, you can also determine whether there is a breathing problem or an abnormality that will have cosmetically significant consequences.’
He emphasized that surgery is only necessary if the fracture causes breathing difficulties, cosmetic problems, or a hematoma in the nasal septum, when blood collects in the area of your nose between your nostrils, called the septum.
Dr. Mikhail said you can tell this if “you look at the nose and there is blood in the nose that looks like little swollen grapes.” He explains that this blood must be drained.
Usually, broken noses can heal on their own within three weeks, the NHS says.
‘The last thing you would want to do to move the nose is two weeks, otherwise it will become very stiff.
“But it usually takes six weeks for broken bones to heal completely, after which they regain 80 to 90 percent of their strength,” says Dr. Mikhail.
But if you break your nose, you should still seek medical attention that day.
That’s because doctors need to investigate whether there is a septal hematoma and a concussion, because a broken nose is also a head trauma.
A patient can expect to be sent home after an assessment before being reassessed in five days where it will be decided whether they need surgery, Dr Mikhail explains.
He emphasizes that before seeking medical attention, you can use ice to control swelling, pinch the bridge of your nose to control bleeding, but never blow your nose.
This is only in case there is a break in the eye socket, as blowing your nose can blow air through that break and cause major eye problems.
